Luke de Noronha is joined by Les Back, Professor of Sociology at Goldsmiths, to talk about the concept of the ‘metropolitan paradox’, reflecting on how the events of 1981 – the New Cross house fire and the resulting Black People’s Day of Action march – formed his thinking and future academic work. Discussing how the tragedy of Grenfell Tower paralleled that of 1981, Les explores how the demonstrations and silent walks provide a service of hope.
Transcript: www.ucl.ac.uk/racism-racialisation/transcript-conversation-les-back
This conversation was recorded on 29th January 2021
Speakers: Luke de Noronha, Lecturer in Race, Ethnicity & Postcolonial Studies, UCL Sarah Parker Remond Centre // Les Back, Professor of Sociology, Goldsmiths University of London
Producer and Editor: Kaissa Karhu